Habits
by alphayamergo
Summary: It's hard to break a habit that's had fifteen years to form. Fifteen drabbles/oneshots for each year the Pevensies spent in Narnia.
1. Problems

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia.**

**A/N: I decided to take a few slight liberties. After all, I'm fairly sure that no retired teachers decided to make a make-shift school during World War Two.**

It's hard to break a habit that's had fifteen years to form.

Susan was used to having Edmund or Lucy come to her or Peter when they had problems. In Narnia, they had been the parental figures, simply because they were older. Because of that, Susan was used to bottling up her own problems, rarely spilling them because she hated worrying her siblings, especially when they relied on her so much. Peter was much the same, she had noticed.

Fifteen years was a long while to grow used to something – a habit, a saying, a movement. Didn't they all use each? Perhaps it was only habit, because most of their sayings and movements were purely habit, done so many times that they came close to doing them unthinkingly. Susan and her siblings each had many habits they'd picked up, and it was hard to get rid of them in the two months they remained with the Professor at his huge house.

They were back in Finchley now. Susan, her brothers and sister had been living with their mother again for nearly a month. It was hard to get used to being treated like a child – indeed, her mother had not noticed the changes in them enough to change the way she treated them. Or perhaps she had, but didn't want to admit it, didn't want to admit her children didn't need her.

To Susan – and she was sure her fellow monarchs would agree – it wasn't much of a surprise that any of this was happening. Who would believe that four children had lived fifteen years, fought in wars and ruled a country, and had no sign of it? They looked the ages they had been when they left England and found Narnia – and that had always hurt Susan the most.

_Fifteen years in one moment. _Lucy, Edmund, Susan and even Peter had lived longer in Narnia then they had in this world, in England. Most of their memories of this world had faded, anyway, making the time they spent in this world so much shorter. Few memories had remained – their mother's warm scent, the feeling of her father's hug, the sensation of having _parents._

Susan blinked as a knock sounded on her door. "Come in," she called out, and the door opened as Lucy slid into the room. They shared a room, and it puzzled Susan as to why Lucy had not walked straight in.

"I'm sorry, sister," apologized Lucy, slipping easily back into their old way of speaking, the way they still spoke in private. "I was not sure whether you were decent."

"What's wrong?" asked Susan, noticing the expression on her sister's face. There was anxiety on it.

"The girls at - school," explained Lucy. They still hesitated to call in school, because in reality it wasn't. School had been suspended during the war, but some retired teachers had put together a make-shift school. Most of the kids in Finchley went there, sent by their mothers, though most didn't want to. "They've been at it again."

Susan hesitated before replying, thinking again of her mother. Susan had noticed lately the way Helen had been trying to encourage them to come to her more often, as if she had noticed the way they immediately went to each other when they had a problem. Susan had also noticed the faint trace of envy in her mother's eyes, and it still made her feel awkward to think of it. A mother that was jealous of her daughter? It was odd, but Susan didn't blame her.

"Lucy, do you think Mother could deal with this?" Susan asked her younger sister. Seeing her sister's face become momentarily puzzled, she hurried on. "I think she's upset that we never go to her anymore, and I think that we should at least try to break this one habit. We owe it to her."

Lucy's expression cleared, just as Susan knew it would. Susan was the most perceptive of people's feelings, which had helped her to gain the title of 'the Gentle', but Lucy and their brothers had a talent for it to. They needed to, after all, or they would be hopeless diplomats. "I… think she could help," she replied. "But Susan, can I still come to you when it's related to Narnia – when there are things I can't explain to her?"

"Of course, Lucy," Susan told her. "Now go on – and if you see Edmund before I do, tell him what I said, please." Lucy nodded and darted off.

Though pleased that she had helped out her mother, a small bit at least, Susan could not help but feel some irrational jealousy. She was used to helping out her sister and brother, and liked doing it, though it could be stressful at times. Susan sighed and laid back on her bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. _At least I can help them with Narnian problems, _she comforted herself. _Besides, they won't always go to Mother. _The Gentle Queen knew there would be slip ups when they would come to her.

After all, it's hard to break a fifteen year old habit.


	2. By the Lion

**A/N: Time to play on the Christian aspects of the Chronicles of Narnia in the form of an drabble.**

"Oh my God," was what escaped most mouths when people were shocked or surprised, and once upon a time it's what the Pevensies would say, too. But for years now – since Lucy was eight, Edmund ten, Susan twelve and Peter fourteen – they had not said the words. When they were shocked or surprised, they would now whisper, "By the Lion."

Their mother looked at them oddly, and their friends – which was precious few, you must understand – stared at them in confusion, but never once did they head them say the words "Oh my God" again. It was years later, but the Pevensies, also known as the Kings and Queens of Old or the Servants of Aslan, found out that they meant the same thing…


	3. Archery

**A/n: Explanation time! I decided to take something from the movie and insert it into book verse, so I guess this is a mixed verse now…? The Pevensies go to the same school in this.**

At the Pevensies school, archery was strictly a boy's sport, and Lucy hated it.

Lucy _knew_ she could be all of those boys if she was allowed to. She knew she would shock them all. Even better, if she got Susan to help, they would be able to surprise the boys by doing the most complex targets that the teachers wanted. Peter and Edmund would be the only ones that would manage to keep their jaws shut, Lucy was sure.

Hoping that the teacher might make an exception today, though still fairly sure she wouldn't be able to, Lucy walked towards the sport teacher and the archery class. Peter and Edmund were part of it, and from what Lucy could see, they were beating the rest of the boys by a lot.

'_That's rather sad,' _thought Lucy. _'I can beat them at archery, and those boys can't even get close to my brothers' standards.'_ She had nearly reached the sport teacher now, but she paused to watch the boys take another shot. Arrows went everywhere – some were decent shots, but none were up to Narnian standards. Lucy shook her head and continued to walk.

Mr Bidgens hardly noticed her when she reached him. "Excuse me, sir?" asked Lucy. The sport teacher turned to her, eye brows raised.

"Yes?" asked Mr Bidgens.

"I was wondering if I could join the boys, and practice archery," said Lucy. She already knew from his face that he was going to say no, and she almost began to turn away.

"Lucy, you know archery is a boy's sport here," the teacher told her. His voice was firm, and Lucy knew better than to argue with him. She knew from experience that landed you in detention. She lowered her head and turned to walk off.

"Poor Lucy Pevensie!" sneered one boy, who had been watching. "What a little pest!"

Another boy laughed. "I'm sure she thinks that she could beat us!" he jeered. "How about it? Reckon you could beat us with no training?"

Lucy flared up. "I'm sure I could! You're all hopeless shots!" she snapped, stopping.

The two laughed again. "Hear that, John?" said the first, a nasty boy called Thomas. "What a little know-it-all! Listen, I'm sure you think you could beat us at archery, beat Mr Bidgens at fencing and play lacrosse better then any of the seniors put together, but you really couldn't. You're just a little girl that is to big for her boots."

Lucy flushed red with fury. "How dare you - !" she exclaimed, enraged. "I'm a - ." She snapped her mouth shut, glowering. '_Queen,'_ she finished. '_How dare he insult a queen of Narnia!' _"You're a pig, Thomas, that's what you are. And you're nearly as bad, John!" She spun around and began to stalk off.

"Just like a girl!" John exclaimed. "They're always running off." He sounded quite smug. Lucy couldn't bare his tone. Furious, Lucy whirled around, glaring. The two boys looked back at her with mocking eyes. Without a word, she reached forwards, grabbed Thomas' bow and put an arrow to the string. She aimed quickly but with accuracy, and the arrow shot towards the target. It landed with a _thud!_ at the dead centre. She smirked, glancing at her brothers. Not even they could compete with her – only Susan.

"Lucky shot!" blustered Thomas. Lucy grinned mischievously as she pulled another arrow out and aimed. It landed slightly to the right, so close to the other arrow it was touching.

"Or perhaps, the result of many summer lessons," suggested Lucy, remembering their agreement to keep Narnia secret. She winced inwardly as she realized she could have just given herself away.

The Narnian queen had always needed to prove herself, most certainly because she was the youngest. Lucy had always wanted the respect of others, and she had to bite her lip here in England when the frustrations of being the youngest returned to her. It had followed her back to this world, just as so many memories had.

Quickly, she turned away. It was time to go, before they asked her some questions she didn't want to answer.

Proving herself was something Lucy was good at.


End file.
